Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Another U.S. Government Sellout: Fracking For Export

It's bad enough that rampant natural gas fracking is being allowed in the U.S. despite the negative environmental impacts of the process as well as the risk of earthquakes. Because natural gas is difficult to export, however, one could at least argue that fracking is helping to reduce America's dependence on foreign energy sources. But now all of that is about to change thanks to the fact that the U.S. government has become a wholly owned subsidiary of the corporations. Here is CNN Money with the details:

The government approved the first ever natural gas export facility in the lower 48 states on Monday, clearing the way for a project that could be a significant job creator.

But critics argue that, just like the Keystone pipeline expansion, building this project will have environmental impacts far beyond the plant itself. They also say it could raise the price of natural gas in the U.S.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted in favor of Texas-based Cheniere Energy's plan to build a giant natural gas liquefaction and export terminal at Sabine Pass, which straddles the Texas-Louisiana boarder just north of the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, so much for the argument that fracking is helping to make America more energy secure. Surprise, surprise, that argument is and always was complete bullshit. Instead, it's all about the Benjamins:

Cheniere says the plant itself and the natural gas extraction needed to fuel it will support between 30,000 and 50,000 jobs a year.

The United Sates is currently experiencing a boom in natural gas production, largely thanks to the controversial process of hydrologic fracturing, or fracking for short.

All the big oil companies, including BP, Exxon Mobil, and Royal Dutch Shell, are now participating in the boom.

But the surge in production -- without any way to export it -- has caused a collapse in natural gas prices in the U.S. The gas industry sees exports as crucial to keep the boom going, along with the thousands of jobs the boom has created.

Natural gas can command five times the U.S. price in Asia or Europe. It can be used as a home heating fuel, burned to make electricity, or used in chemical or fertilizer production.

Notice how they lamely try to justify this action by claiming it will create jobs. Not withstanding the fact that, just like with the Keystone Pipeline, the job creation estimates are no doubt greatly overinflated, there is this little problem:

Cheniere's application was the first the government approved. Applications for seven other facilities around the country are pending. If all are approved, the nation could end up exporting one-fifth of its current gas output.

That's something critics are working to stop.

Fracking is a big reason why. Opponents say an increase in gas exports will lead to an increase in fracking.

Fracking involves injecting sand, water and chemicals deep into the ground to crack the rock and allow the gas to flow more freely. Some fear it is contaminating the ground water and leading to earthquakes.

Critics also say it could lead to an increase in natural gas prices in the U.S.
That could harm not only consumers who may pay more for heat, but also manufacturers that could pay more for electricity and materials.

That "could potentially have catastrophic impacts on U.S. manufacturing," said a report on the matter from House Democrats on the Natural Resources Committee.

Which would no doubt destroy far more jobs than will be created in the fracking industry. So all of the risks that the American public is being asked to run by allowing fracking to continue are not even being borne to benefit them, and what's more, their own elected government is the one selling them down the river. Too bad so many of them are hooked on American Idol, Dancing with the Stars and the NFL and will never notice until the day a fracking-generated earthquake drops the roof right down on their fucking thick skulls.

10 comments:

This is just an indicator of what is to come for the US. We will have to sell our food, our minerals, our energy resources and everything else to pay the debts we have racked up with other countries like China. Nothing but shortages here in the future.

Fracking has enormous fugitive emissions of methane, which is causing remote regions like Wyoming and Montana to have high peaks of tropospheric ozone, and is contributing to the increasingly high, persistent background levels everywhere else. Ozone is toxic to vegetation - like annual crops such as wheat, corn, cotton and vegetables, not to mention longer-lived orchards that produce fruit and nuts - so you can add shortages of food to everything else we can anticipate in the future.

"Too bad so many of them are hooked on American Idol, Dancing with the Stars and the NFL and will never notice until the day a fracking-generated earthquake drops the roof right down on their fucking thick skulls."

And even then they won't get it. They'll wonder why God allowed the earthquake to happen, just like they wondered why God allowed their kids to be laden with birth defects. Just like the folks lampooned on Mr. Show wondered why God would allow people to die on the Devastator: http://youtu.be/p5Oi57fqdU0

I just love how the 'mercuhn sheople just keep taking it. Day after bleeding day. Their water will be toxic, their air will be toxic, their soil will be toxic, and they'll still wave their tiny little flags and chant USA USA USA whenever possible. Awesome.

Actually, they DON'T say it will CREATE any jobs. It states: "Cheniere says the plant itself and the natural gas extraction needed to fuel it will support between 30,000 and 50,000 jobs a year."

WTF does that mean? And where are these "supported" jobs?

What makes it worse is that the phrasing is obviously corporate flack-speak, but the reporter is too damn lazy to actually quote the sleazeball who said it. In fact, did you notice that article doesn't cite a single real human being?

While the current administration blows it's horn about the 100 year supply of natural gas, we intend to deplete the one source that potentially gives us independence against reliance. I'm so glad that I never brought any children into this foresaken country that we are commited to destroying. I often wonder if the children of tomorrow will actually hang photos of their parents on the wall. If only a reminder of what created the missery of their lives. God help them.

Informed voting is the only way to change things. We can all post our comments online but until the working class that has supported this country for too long gets off their ass and become informed voters nothing is going to change. Bush Sr during the 80's created 24% mortgage rates and up. Bush Jr caused the failure of our banking system. Yes the banking system failed but the middle class bailed out. TRUTH!!! Unforntuately the middle class is too busy trying to make a living as well as the lower class trying to survive they have no time to pay attention or learn. Rather than post online....do both online as well as get out and inform with facts.